The Mayor of Wirksworth, Councillor Andy Pollock, had a successful, if not entirely enjoyable skydive in September and has raised £5,000 for his chosen charities… so far! Andy hopes to carry out more fundraising events in coming months and to push his total during this year long-term to over £6,000. The funds will be split between children’s charities Wirksworth Young Futures Fund and Seashell Trust.

The Matlock Raft Event is roaring back this Boxing Day, following last year's hugely successful day. The 2025 event promises an unforgettable experience, with organizers dedicated to going above and beyond to create a safe, thrilling, and memorable day for all. The Matlock Raft Event is a quirky, long-standing tradition held in Matlock, Matlock Bath and Cromford, Derbyshire, UK. Every year on Boxing Day (December 26th), brave participants take to the chilly River Derwent on

Once again at Bakewell Methodist Church we are celebrating the Christmas story with a Festival of Nativities. The invitation is to everyone to come and see the meaningful story of Christmas pictured through beautiful Nativity crib scenes, including a life-size scene with all the characters around the crib. Come and discover again how the birth of Jesus came about and why that brings so much to celebrate in this season! The Festival is open every day from 1st to 22nd December

Photo courtesy of Benjamin Edwards Every year about this time children (and parents and grandparents) will be anticipating one of the high points of the year-Santa Specials on Steeple Grange Light Railway. Not surprisingly because as well as a gift from Santa in his Grotto there will also be mince pies, a hot drink and a ride on one of the railway’s small but real trains. This year the Specials will run on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th December, one mile north of Wirksworth by

The Wirksworth Fairtrade Town Team celebrating at the town sign and Siddhraj and Rukvi Odedra showing some of the Fairtrade products in their shop, Dip's Place The Wirksworth Fairtrade Town Team is delighted to announce that Wirksworth has won back its Fairtrade Town status. The town was first accredited as a Fairtrade Town back in 2009, but in recent years this status has lapsed. Now, however, the Fairtrade Foundation has updated Wirksworth’s Fairtrade status for a further t

A truly wonderful afternoon was enjoyed by all members and visitors who braved the terrible rain pouring down like stair rods to listen to guest speakers Janet and Paul Barrass, who spoke and sang with passion and laughter about one of their special subject lectures ‘Past Traditions of Christmas’. To back this they brought along an extensive array of vintage festive items which took everyone back to their childhood memories of bygone christmases. All in all this was one of t

The River Network Woodland Project is proud to announce its latest initiative aimed at supporting homeless shelters and supported housing projects through the creation of planters and raised beds. A dedicated team of service users recently came together to lend their skills and expertise, fostering community development and leadership along the way. This project not only addresses the immediate need for green spaces in urban areas but also empowers individuals facing homeles

Believed to be the Peak District’s only hotel and restaurant with this status, the Hope Valley venue doubles down on inclusive, seasonal, locally-sourced dining.  The Maynard, one of the Peak District’s most popular hotel and restaurant destinations, has been officially accredited by Coeliac UK - a milestone that recognises the team’s dedication to safe, inclusive and flavour-led dining for guests who are coeliac and those who eat gluten-free.   The Coeliac UK Gluten Free Acc

– ADVERTORIAL – EDS Homecare (Eyam Domiciliary Service Ltd) is a local family business providing professional care services for people living in the Peak District, North Derbyshire and South Yorkshire for over 20 years. If you are looking for care at home you can be confident in receiving the very best service, delivered by our team of highly trained, compassionate carers. We have a dedicated Compliance Team whose first priority is to ensure the care you need is provided in

Sunday 23rd November, 10.30-12.30 “Isn’t jazz played in seedy basements late at night?” Yes – but you can also immerse yourselves in the cool sounds of mellow jazz whilst enjoying an amazing breakfast at The Medway Centre in Bakewell! The Jazz Breakfast is deservedly one of Oxfam’s most popular annual events. Come with your family and friends to relax, chat and read the Sunday newspapers, which we provide, while enjoying a sumptuous buffet of cheeses, cold meats, eggs, smok

Wyns Tor Singers invite you to their autumn concert in St Helen’s Church, Darley Dale. The choir will be singing a wide range of lively and thoughtful choral music from the renaissance to the 21st century, picking up themes of Autumn and Advent. Our guest artist will be our favourite Welsh harpist Elfair Grug, who will bring us several solo pieces from the harp repertoire. Elfair has joined us on several occasions in recent years, and has always been a joy to listen to – don’

Thread Your Way Along the Steel Cotton Rail Trail, the brand-new station to station walking trail from Sheffield to Manchester which was launched on 27th September. Created by the High Peak and Hope Valley Community Rail Partnership and the South East Manchester Community Rail Partnership, the Steel Cotton Rail Trail allows walkers to explore the Peak District and canals from Sheffield to Manchester along the Hope Valley railway line, discovering the area’s industrial past a

Derbyshire Open Arts is an annual event that promotes the work of artists and makers across the county. Next year will be the 20th anniversary of the event which has grown into Derbyshire’s largest open studio event and will take place over the Spring Bank holiday weekend, Saturday 23rd to Monday 25th May 2026. There are many benefits to artists of being part of Derbyshire Open Arts including: • promotion of your work and venue via social media platforms, newspapers and maga

When wondering where to go for a walk, the Goyt Valley sprang to mind, and so Nellie and I headed off to park the car beside Errwood Reservoir where I was pleased to see the water level was recovering from its drought inflicted low back in July this year, said to have been the lowest in decades. Opened in 1968, when full, Errwood Reservoir has a maximum depth of 114 feet and a surface area of 78 acres. It cost some £1.5 million to construct. We headed up a glorious path on t

Matlock Music Society continues its exciting 2025/26 season with a concert on 28th November given by PIVA, the internationally acclaimed early music ensemble. Returning by popular demand, the group will help ease us into the Christmas spirit by celebrating the Yuletide season, performing seasonal music and songs from Tudor times. Since forming in 2002, PIVA has become established as one of the UK’s leading early music ensembles specialising in the popular dance and ballad mu

L-R: Club Chairman, Paul Davies and Stefan Andrejczuk To many people in this country, the name of Marks & Spencer suggests the traditional British business but, in fact, it was founded by a penniless immigrant, Michael Marks who, in 1882, arrived in England unable to speak the language but who was determined to work hard to earn a living. The story of the famous retail business which bears his name and that of his partner, Thomas Spencer, was related to the Bakewell and Distr

L-R: Prof. Roger Clough with Rotary members, Margie Stuckey and Dr John Burn We were delighted to welcome Prof Roger Clough to our evening meeting on 29th October at The Rutland Arms, Bakewell for a very stimulating presentation and discussion based on his book Oldenland – how to grow old gracefully, understand others and enjoy your later years! Roger is a retired academic from Lancaster University who has written numerous books on ageing and social care – and widely spoken p

Claire De la Haye (Musical Director of the choir) and James Churchill (Chair of trustees) presenting Roger Cassidy, Chair of Aquabox Trustees (centre) with a cheque from profits on the September concert in the Aquabox warehouse in Wirksworth Just try to imagine a place with no safe water supply and / or open sewage in the street. It could be a muddy desert water hole or there might be too much water around but it is all contaminated. This week it could be Sudan, Jamaica or Ga

The next Rotary Club of Bakewell Repair Café is being held at the Bakewell Methodist Church Hall on Saturday 29th November from 10am to 12.30pm (last jobs taken 12 noon). Our usual team of repairers will be on hand to try and save your items from the scrap heap using their brilliant repair skills. Items previously repaired successfully include vacumn cleaners, radios, stools, and our bicycle repairer is coming too. We will also be holding a special Darning Workshop at the sa

Ashley Franklin and Chairman Roger Flint At the November meeting of Matlock Probus Club the Chairman, Roger Flint, welcomed members and our Speaker Mr Ashley Franklin. Ashley is a man of many parts – photographer, writer, cinema enthusiast. Before attending our meeting, Ashley had been at the Ritz Cinema in Belper previewing one of the films showing there. He was born in Nottingham and often went for outings in the Peak District which he grew to love. Ashley worked as a